Youth Concerto Competition 2026 Winners
Congratulations to the talented winners of the North Carolina Symphony’s 2026 Kathleen Price and Joseph M. Bryan Youth Concerto Competition!
YOUNG ARTISTS DIVISION
First Prize: Sanjana Bellapu (piano), Grieg: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16
Second Prize: Siana Wong (violin), Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47, I. Allegro moderato
Honorable Mention: Andrew Cho (cello), Bloch: Schelomo, B. 39
First Prize: Sanjana Bellapu, piano
Sanjana Sri Bellapu began studying piano at the age of 10. She made her recital debut at 19 and has performed at several festivals, including the NC Bach Festival, ECU’s Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival Next Gen, and the NC Federation of Music Clubs Festival. In 2018, she was awarded the Young Artists Award by the NC Bach Festival. In May 2022, she performed at the 11th International Competition for Young Musicians at the Muziekcentrum in Enschede, Netherlands. She has participated in master classes with renowned artists such as Alexander Korsantia, Michael Lewin, Dr. Kwan Yi, Maestro Radoslaw Sobczak, and Charlotte Hu.
Sanjana earned her bachelor’s degree in piano performance from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee with a merit-based scholarship, where she studied under Dr. Jonathan Bass. She was also an IBM Thomas K. Watson Memorial Scholarship recipient for the 2021–2025 academic years. Previously, Sanjana studied with Natalia Harlap, faculty at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School.
In addition to her piano studies, Sanjana has trained in Indian Classical Music since the age of 7, and has performed widely as a vocal duo with her sister. In her free time, she loves to explore photography and is an avid reader.
Second Prize: Siana Wong, violin
Siana Wong is a native of Greensboro, North Carolina, with family roots in Malaysia. She has won the Winston-Salem Symphony Youth Orchestra, Greensboro Symphony Youth Orchestra, UNC Chapel Hill, and UNC Greensboro concerto competitions. She holds a bachelor’s degree in music from UNC Chapel Hill and a Performance Certificate from UNCG.
Siana is a champion of contemporary music and an avid chamber musician in and out of her home state of North Carolina, including performances with Eastern Festival of Music and UNCG faculty. She has spent many summers at the original Richard Luby International Violin Symposium, where she had the opportunity to learn from first-class violinists from around the globe. Currently, she has been selected as a String Fellow at Eastern Festival of Music to perform with the Faculty Orchestra.
Siana is a member of Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra, Western Piedmont Symphony, and Associate Concertmaster of Greensboro Symphony Orchestra. In addition to her performing career, she is committed to advancing youth music education while fostering meaningful community engagement.
Siana is extending her studies at UNCG, pursuing a master’s degree in music with Professor Fabián López. She plays on a Wojciech Topa violin from 2017 and a bow by Victor Fétique.
JUNIOR DIVISION
First Prize: Ivan Menolascino (piano), Chopin: Piano Concerto in E minor, Op. 11, I. Allegro maestoso
Second Prize: Natalia Siqueira Biasotto (violin), Saint-Saëns: Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 28
Honorable Mention: Karissa Thai (viola), Forsyth: Viola Concerto in G minor, I. Appassionato
First Prize: Ivan Menolascino, piano
Ivan Menolascino began piano at age five with his father as teacher. At age eight, he began studying cello. At age 10, he began studying piano with Derison Duarte of Duke University. At age 13, he began studying with Professor Clara Yang of UNC-Chapel Hill, who is his current teacher. He studies cello with Professor Caroline Stinson of Duke. Ivan has won numerous awards, including MTNA North Carolina Junior Piano Winner for 2023 and 2024, and MTNA North Carolina Senior Piano Alternate Winner for 2025. In 2024, he won the Chapel Hill Philharmonia’s Concerto Competition and performed Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto (mvt. 1) with them. He will be a finalist at the Southeastern Piano Festival’s competition in summer 2026.
Ivan has been active in chamber music, participating in the Chapel Hill-based MYCO chamber music project for the past four years, playing piano and cello. His Tempus piano quartet were semifinalists at the 2026 Coltman Chamber Music Competition and quarterfinalists at the 2026 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. Ivan plays varsity soccer and tennis at his high school, and is a National Honor Society member.
Second Prize: Natalia Siqueira Biasotto, violin
15-year-old Natalia Siqueira Biasotto started violin lessons at the age of three. At the age of nine, she began lessons with Cecilia Guida, whom she has studied with. Recently, she also started lessons with Alexander Kerr.
At the age of 10, Natalia debuted as a soloist by the invitation of Maestro Fernando Ortiz with the professional Orquestra Sinfônica Municipal de Botucatu in Brazil. Since then, she has achieved several musical recognitions, including recent solo performances with the Winston-Salem Symphony and the Raleigh Symphony Orchestra after being selected as first-place winner of the Peter Perret Youth Talent Search (2026) and the Rising Stars Concerto Competition (2026), respectively. She was also the first-prize winner of the Concerto Competition of the NC Federation of Music Clubs, a finalist of the Hilton Head Island Orchestra Youth Concerto Competition (2026), alternate winner of Chapel Hill Philharmonia Young Artist Concerto Competition (2026), and has received the NCCMI Outstanding Artistry and Chamber Music Excellence and Teamwork (2023-2026), among others.
She has been an intern at NCCMI, with a primary role as a peer mentor for other ensembles, and the Associate Concertmaster of the Triangle Youth Philharmonic, the top youth orchestra of Triangle Youth Music in Raleigh, NC.